Trying to defeat their rivals in the school talent show, twins Ben and Jenny have to use marionettes, something they both fear, but their fear might be justified.

"Pinocchio, a lonely woodcarver's puppet, magically comes to life then runs away and gets into a lot of trouble. The wooden hero tells lies, gets robbed by a sly cat and fox, and is swallowed by a hungry shark before he learns that good deeds, not bad, will help him to fulfill his dream of becoming a real boy."--publisher's website.

Eleven-year-old Chance accidentally helps Penny, a lonely marionette who cannot remember who she is or where she came from, discover the truth of her past.

The adventures of a talking wooden marionette whose nose grew whenever he told a lie.

In The Soul of the Marionette, his brilliantly enjoyable and freewheeling book, John Gray draws together the religious, philosophic, and fantastical traditions that question the very idea of human freedom.